Travelers at Shenzhen Bay Immigration Control Point in Hong Kong on September 15. Many Chinese are proud rightfully of Chinas ability to swiftly tame the outbreak, despite its initial mishandling. Our vaccination rate has not reached 80%85% yet.. Updated On Aug. 12, a fully vaccinated, 38-year-old female tested positive for the Delta variant of COVID-19 on her 12th day back in Hong Kong after a trip to the U.S. and a seven-day stay in a Hong Kong quarantine hotel. Did you encounter any technical issues? The long closure has impacted businesses and frustrated residents. The people who want to open up international travel expats, people with families abroad unfortunately, thats a minority. In the face of intense criticism, the government has repeatedly defended its course of action. The southern province of Guangdong, hit by a recent virus outbreak, is building a quarantine clinic for international arrivals with 5,000 beds. In Chinas publishing business, you have to duck and dive, How nationalism is making life harder for gay people in China, China is keeping its borders closed, and turning inward, California: Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Chinas prime minister, Li Keqiang, is about to retire, Chinese arms could revive Russias failing war, How to prevent sycophancy in Chinas civil service. 2. Mr Xi attends overseas summits by video-link. See how we collect data and find out why not all countries are included in the statistics. Discovery Company. How does China reopen its borders without losing its grip on Covid-19 Measures imposed against outbreaks in places like the eastern Fujian province or southern Guangzhou city have contained the virus, even as Delta has stymied virus response systems in other countries with zero tolerance for infections, like Vietnam and Australia. Staying home is the best way to stem transmission. Passengers walk through Salt Lake City International Airport, Oct. 27, 2020. But there are also political considerations. Many developing countries have relied heavily on Chinese shots. FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. The reasons are many. Their priorities are different from those who are locally based., The broader general public is so used to zero cases, theyre happy, he added. A single case can lead to city-wide testing and lockdown. Lams comments illustrate just how closely Hong Kongs government has tied its Covid strategy with China not surprising for a Chinese territory but a further sign of Hong Kongs deteriorating reputation as an international hub. The government rejected an offer for them to fly in by charter plane for a brief inspection visit in protective suits. There have been numerous outbreaks of Covid-19 since last spring, varying in size from single cases to hundreds, but all of them have been ended swiftly, with modest, generally localised disruption. China May Have More to Lose If Borders Open to Tourists China Travel Restrictions 2023 - When China will Open Its Borders 2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. Editors Note: Coronavirus cases remain high across the globe. Theyre willing to give up leisure travel for public health., But pandemic fatigue has long set in, and theres no telling when the governments bet on China will pay off. At the time of writing, eight positive cases have been detected, including other port workers and their family members, none of whom have so much as run a fever. Hong Kong closed its borders to non-residents in early 2020 at the start of the pandemic. Beijing has charged them with espionage, but most outside of China see their detention as retaliation for Mengs arrest and a bargaining chip to help leverage her release. For which countries are the borders with China open? But even the largest such businesses struggle to obtain visas for the families of their expatriate staff. Is crazy to think he has a whole other side of the family he hasn't even met yet.". Regional lockdowns have been imposed every time there are new outbreaks of the virus. Once he tested positive, his colleagues, close contacts and neighbours, and their contacts, numbering tens of thousands in all, were tested and quarantined where necessary. Their resentment is both sincere and stoked by propaganda that accuses American leaders of slandering China to cover up their cruel incompetence and 600,000 pandemic deaths. China's border reopening and travel restrictions - South China Morning Post West reopens its borders, but will that affect China's 'zero COVID China wants 80% of its population vaccinated by the end of 2021. The existing 14-day quarantine will be replaced by a seven plus three program consisting of one week of hotel quarantine plus three days of home observation. China won't open up after lockdown anytime soon 26 September 2021 Author: Nicholas Thomas, CityU What is normal in a post-pandemic world? China Is Open For Tourism And Sees Rapid Decline In Covid Cases Zhong said that trying to keep the disease out of China forever may become futile, especially as a high nationwide vaccination rate renders the disease less dangerous. Visitors are strongly urged to keep on top of local restrictions and rule changes as much as possible. Given Chinas zero tolerance for Covid cases, it is likely that some restrictions might stay in place until the Beijing Winter Olympics next February, or even as late as the 20th Communist Party Congress next fall both politically important events of which Beijing wants to ensure absolute success. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of international students enrolled in Chinese universities have been barred from returning to the country, with many voicing frustrations on Twitter and tagging Chinese diplomats for help to no avail. Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. including those from China or Russia, will not be . Official media published a story by a former health minister (whose background is in finance) expressing astonishment at the idea of easing controls. Anyone visiting China is urged to be flexible as lockdowns can happen to apartment buildings, offices, or even entire neighborhoods with little notice. Propaganda outlets stress that new cases involve arrivals from abroad. In March 2020, I wrote that life was returning to normal in China, but that other countries faced a longer wait. Though a few of the countrys top scientists have cautiously questioned how long Chinas zero-covid policies may last, there are no signs the government is moving away from its position. Now, the global financial hub is once again sealing its borders. This means that all Hong Kong residentsexcept for those coming from mainland China, Macau, Taiwan, or New Zealandwill have to spend at least 14 days in quarantine upon arrival regardless of vaccination status. But there's one condition: they need to have received a China-made Covid-19 vaccine. public health experts and local politicians. The US on Monday reopened . And so far, Chinese authorities have shown little urgency in reopening. Travelers walk through Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, on Saturday, May 1, 2021. When will China open its borders to Denmark? Coronavirus in 2021: rules Many attractions require guests to register one day in advance and to take a Covid test before being permitted to enter. When China is reopening its border in 2021 for foreigners? 2:39 AM EDT, Wed July 21, 2021. Most foreigners have been kept out, and anyone who is able to get into the country must spend at least 14 days in strict hotel quarantine. Zhongs comments are the first indication that China is tying its reopening plans to a vaccination goal. Chinas COVID-zero measures, which prioritize snuffing out even one COVID-19 case no matter the cost, have remained largely the same since the country successfully contained the worlds first outbreak of infections in Wuhan in the spring of 2020. articles a month for anyone to read, even non-subscribers! People feel that they made hard sacrifices in 2020 in order to defeat Covid, and see no reason to be exposed to risks again. Chinese history has seen many cycles of opening and turning inward. This story has been updated to include Hong Kongs new quarantine rules formally announced late Tuesday evening. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Would-be travelers must be careful as flights can be canceled at the last minute. Beijing expelled at least 18 foreign correspondents last year, and few Western outlets have been granted visas for new journalists to be based in China, according to the Foreign Correspondents Club of China. China may reopen Hong Kong border in early December Though not a scientific survey, the results nevertheless suggest a significant shift in attitudes among a group of prominent figures in the China field, most of whom would almost certainly have planned to travel to the country a year or two ago as part of their professional routines, it said. Last month, online magazine ChinaFile said among 121 China-connected scholars, journalists, former diplomats and civil society workers it surveyed, only 44% said they planned to travel to China once coronavirus restrictions are lifted; 40% said they probably or definitely would not visit, while the rest were unsure. Given the sheer size of the company and the fact that its huge debt is widely held in China by banks and retail investors a default by Evergrande could pose significant risks to Chinas financial system. As a result, opening up could pose challenges to hospitals, especially in rural areas. I do not think the government will have trouble reaching its targets for vaccination rates. Continue reading your article witha WSJ subscription, Already a member? The change will have a profound effect on the borders with Mexico and Canada, where traveling back and forth was a way of life until the pandemic hit and the U.S. shut down nonessential travel. Still, one case was particularly concerning to authorities. When borders reopen to tourists, countries that ran large surpluses on their tourism accounts pre-Covid -- Thailand and New Zealand among others -- stand to gain the most, writes Asia Chief economist Chang Shu. Residents from many provinces now get shopping coupons when they are vaccinated, and nationwide 20m doses are being administered every day. Now the the types of visas you can apply for include Z visa, M visa, Q visa, S visa, X visa, etc. Though about 63% of the population has been fully vaccinated, many received the Chinese Sinovac vaccine, which has had its efficacy against the highly infectious Delta variant questioned.